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Silly sock question

Janet

(website)

Veteran

What does it mean when your socks slide down and bunch inside your shoes?

I wore a brand new pair of (short) socks yesterday, and they drove me insane with this. I walked a couple of miles and had to stop every so often and yank my socks up.

The kicker is that I bought those socks to replace an old pair that did the same thing! I just figured they were getting old and stretched out.

The shoes I wore yesterday have a little room in them, maybe I just needed to wear thicker socks? I don't always want to wear knee high socks, especially with skinnier jeans because then the jeans stick to the socks.

Dressing

21 replies

Latest reply was from catgirl

pil

Veteran

Inquiring minds want to know. That happened to me just the other day too. New socks and shoes, so I don't know which to blame!

cinnamon fern

Veteran

For me it means the socks go in the trash as soon as I get home. I don't know what causes it but it never happens to me with wool socks, which is now why I only wear wool socks.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Urgh. I HATE this.

Mine did this yesterday, too. I did exactly what Cinnamon Fern did with hers. To the trash!

For me it usually means they are stretched out and/or they have too much cotton in the fabrication. For some reason cotton does it worse. I agree that the thin Ssmartwool socks are the best at not doing it.

Anonymous

Another vote for smart wool socks and for avoiding cotton to prevent this. It might be caused by too-big shoes so that heel slippage pulls them down when walking.
Old cotton socks can make good mitts for dusting

Lisa

Veteran

I only wear smart wool socks and they don't fall down. I find socks with little to no elastic in them seem to fall down. Also when the top of the sock is not very thick usually this means they slip down on me.

JAileen

Veteran

Because I have big feet I always assumed this was from too short socks. I wear Thorlo hiking socks in my boots and this never happens. Rather than throwing away the bad socks I put them in my donation pile.

kellygirl

Veteran

Arrggh, I hate this! I like cotton and wool rich socks the best. I find the slipping, sliding and twisting to happen with bamboo/modal rich socks which I used to find at Target. Toss them in the trash--they aren't good for anything!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

It means that the socks aren't snug enough.

Louise

Veteran

I think it's if the socks are too big or the elastic has gone? X

deb

Veteran

Men have been using sock garter for years because of this issue. My grandfather wore these to church to keep his socks from falling down.

http://www.suspenderstore.com/.....gn=bizrate

kkards

Veteran

it happens to me a lot, its because the socks are to large. i don't know what size shoe you wear, but i wear a 6. most socks for sale are sized for shoe sizes 6-9. so if you are on the low end of the scale, the socks are going to be to large.
i recommend finding socks that are sized smaller. smart wool and thorlo (for athletic socks) are 2 brands that are widely available in US (athought finding the Small can some times be a challange). i have found shoe stores that carry European brands of shoes will often have european brands of socks as well, and for some reason they seem to be available in more sizes than american brands.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

My foot size is quite average -- I wear a size 8 shoe, so it really shouldn't be a matter of too-large socks.

I like cute socks like argyle, stripes, etc., and I don't like them to be too thick or too tight, but maybe the fabrication is to blame. They're brand new, and lucky me, I bought a three-pack. Well, at least they were inexpensive!

unfrumped

Veteran

It can be all of those things, and sometimes very unpredictable.

I also wear "knee socks" a lot--usually Gold Toe cotton or wool blends because they stay up and wear like iron-- but I buy some fun other brands and types from time to time, and I try to evaluate them before I buy them as to how they will perform, but if I find myself pulling them up all day long, I have learned I just have to trash them and move on.

Gaylene

Veteran

I think it's the lack of heel/ankle shaping in inexpensive socks that leads to the sock not fitting snugly as Angie mentioned. It's sometimes hard to tell by just looking at the sock because the bagginess only happens after you've worn the sock for a bit. While there are exceptions, I usually find that cheap socks are the worst offenders.

Diana

Veteran

Yes, it generally means your socks are too large. I like my socks to fit very tight (and I have size 7.5 feet but they are narrow and shallow so I prefer a smaller sock anyway. This might be your problem too?) I used to buy XL children's socks on occasion at Gap kids before they stopped selling them. I do still buy the women's socks from Gap, and I find they are stretchy/tight enough to avoid this most of the time.

Raisin

Veteran

Usually it's because of loose socks. Smartwool socks are great, but beware, they wear out fast. They make the thicker one, and some casual everyday ones. I love them, but they need to be replaced often.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

UGH. THIS HAPPENS TO ME ALL THE TIME.

I think it means your calves are small.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Urgh. This happens to me a lot, too. I never have figured out exactly what the problem is, but I think in part it is related to my shoes slipping on my heels when I walk uphill and having socks that are too thin.

Freckles

Veteran

This drives me insane too. I bought an expensive pair of cashmere socks from Italy this summer in a smaller size and they do that whenever I wear them with shoes instead of just around the house sock feet, my feet are narrow with insanely narrow heels though...

Edit..The Bay will let you try on socks for size if you are wearing a knee high.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Janet, I've found that Calvin Klein and Hue make comfy, cute socks that are not too thick and don't slide down. I can't wear wool, but the cotton blend ones seem to be OK. They are snug but not tight, don't have a tight elastic at the top, and come in both solids and cute patterns (I like the argyle ones, too).

catgirl

Veteran

I hate that. I find certain boots do it to all my socks, and certain socks do it with all my boots. Bleh.